Maker of sapphire glass for iPhones to shut down Arizona plant

MESA, Ariz.—A manufacturer of sapphire glass that Apple Inc. uses in its iPhones plans to eliminate 727 jobs at an Arizona plant.

GT Advanced Technologies, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week.

The company announced its layoff plans this week for the Mesa, Ariz., plant as required by the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

The job cuts include 524 production workers, 108 technical positions, 70 management jobs and 25 administrative jobs.

The bankruptcy and ensuing effort to shut down the factory mark a surprising turn after state, local and business leaders previously bragged that the plant would be a major boost to the Arizona economy.

Apple currently uses sapphire glass for camera lenses and its fingerprint-reading home button on many new iPhones.